Unitary car door closure



B. H. FORD 2,925,632

UNITARY CAR DooR cLosURE Filed April 16. 1957 Feb. 23, 1960 /NVE/V TOR.'

nited States Patent l UNITARY CAR DOOR CLOSURE Barton H. Ford, Omaha,Nebr., assgnor, by mesne assignments, of one-half to International PaperCompany, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York, and one-half to TheStanley Works, New Britain, Conn., a corporation of ConnecticutApplication April 16, 1957, Serial No. 653,133 3 Claims. (Cl. 20-27)This invention relates to a unitary car door closure, and moreparticularly to a temporary closure for a railway car which isparticularly adapted to prevent the escape of grain therefrom.

A heretofore widely used temporary closure for grain car doorwaysincluded a flat sheet provided with side and bottom flats and supportedin place by a number of metal straps that extended across the doorway.The employment off the metal straps presents a number of disadvantagesand problems. First, additional labor is required in the fabrication ofthe temporary closure in order to secure the 'straps firmly to thesheet. If such is not done, there is a chance that the straps willbecome detached and the temporary closure weakened. In installation, itis necessary to nail or otherwise secure the straps to the framing ofthe doorway. This involves time consuming carpentry work and, after anumber of temporary closures have been applied to a given car doorway,tends to weaken the framework. Further, the handling of the temporaryclosures of the prior art before and after installation always presentsa danger in that the sharp edges of the straps may injure those personswho are engaged in handling the doorways.

An object of this invention is to provide a temporary closure whichovercomes the disadvantages and problems of the heretofore employedclosures. Another object is to provide a closure in which metal strapsare eliminated. Yet another object is to provide a closure whichincludes an integral sheet that is readily installed in a doorwayopening. A still further object is to provide a temporary closure forgrain car doors that is installed and maintained in place in a doorwaywith a minimum of securing means. Another object is to provide atemporary closure for a grain car door wherein the closure is maintainedin place substantially only by the weight of grain within the car. Afurther object is to provide a temporary closure for a grain car doorconstructed of a sheet of substantially rigid material and equipped withflanges along three sides that permit the closure to be maintained inplace substantially only by the pressure of the grain carried by thecar. A still further object is to provide a grain car temporary closureas described in the object immediate preceeding and in which stiffeningmeans is provided between the side flanges and sheet to limitdeformation of the sheet outwardly of the grain car. Other specificobjects and advantages of my invention will appear as this specificationproceeds. The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, by theaccompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of arailway car opening partly closed by a temporary closure or barricadeembodying my invention; Figure 2 is a fragmentary crosssectional viewtaken along the line 2 2 of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a cross-sectionalview similar to that depicted in Figure 2 but showing another embodimentof my invention.

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In the illustration given, I provide a sheet of a substantially rigidmaterial designated generally by the numeral 10. This is employed tobarricade or obstruct the doorway 11 of a grain railway car, the doorwaybeing defined by upright framing members 12 and floor 13.

Sheet 10, as best seen in Figure 2 is provided with an inwardlyextending integral flange portion 14 along a vertical edge. The sametype of flange is provided along the opposite vertical edge as indicatedby the numeral 15 in Figure 1. Both inwardly extending flanges 14 and 15are provided at their inner extremities withsidewardly extending flanges16 and 17 respectively. Nails 18 and 19 extend through sidewardlyextending flanges 16 and are anchored in upright members 12 for purposeswhich will be explained later. The bottom edge of sheet 10 is alsoprovided with an inwardly extending flange 20 as can be seen in Figure1.

When a unitary sheet structure 10 is installed in a doorway 11 as shownin Figures 1 and 2, and the car filled with grain as indicated by thenumeral 21 in Figure 2, the closure achieved thereby appears to act as abeam with secured ends, irrespective of whether any securing means suchas nails 18 and 19 are provided. Although the operation of my inventionis imperfectly understood, it is believed that the pressure of grainacting against flanges 16 and 17, as well as flanges 14 and 15,effectively secure sheet 10 in place. It is to be noted, however, thatsheet 10 must be constructed of a substantially rigid enough material soas to limit outward deflection of sheet 10 so that the above mentionedflanges would not be displaced from their positions adjacent verticalframing members 12. If sheet 10 is substantially non-rigid, the sheetacts like a beam with free ends which are able to shift. Once the endsof such a beam member begin to shift, the effective force against theflanges defining the ends is lessened permitting greater outwarddeformation of the beam-like sheet 10. This lessens the surface area ofthe flanges in contact with framing members 12 and therefore the holdingforce exerted thereby. This then permits greater outward deilection ofsheet 10 and ultimate disengagement of the side flanges from the framingmembers 12.

When a relatively rigid material is used to construct sheet 10, thisproblem is ordinarily avoided except, perhaps, during the initial stagesof filling a car with grain when grain might be piled up immediatelyadjacent the center of sheet 10 and none against the side flanges 14,15, 16 and 17. For this reason I provide nails 18 and 19 to preventundue bowing out of sheet 10 and consequent disengagement of the sideflanges during the initial stages of filling a car when inequalities ofgrain pressure might exist.

By employing a rigid but slightly deformable material to construct sheet10, I not only achieve an easily installed temporary closure for a graincar door but, at the same time provide a door that is uniformly moreresistant against rupture than heretofore provided closures. Byeliminating the use of metal straps, I avoid the possibility that thesheet material supported by the straps might shift therefrom and permitgrain loss. Rather, by employing an integral structure with flangedsides and bottom I achieve a superior seal to retain grain and at thesame time provide a means for readily maintaining the closure inposition. Satisfactory results are achieved when the sheet 10 isconstructed of sheet metal such as sheet steel or a variety of rigidplastic materials. Such plastic materials may take the form ofthermoplastic or thermo-setting plastic materials. Such may be eithervinyl plastics or plastics derived from phenolic resins. The plasticmaterials may be copolymers such as polyvinyl chloride andpolyvinylidene chloride. Ethylene teraphthalate may be used.Alternatively cellu- 3 losic products such as hardboard or pressed woodcan be used.

In another embodiment of my invention, as depicted in Figure 3 I providea stitlening rib 22 between sheet 10 and inwardly extending flange 14'.In Figurel 3 the nomenclature employed ,irl` Figures l .and 2 isfollowed where possible but with the exception of adding a prime to thenumeral indicating a similar element. By providing a stiiening rib suchas indicated at 22' I substantially eliminate the need for employingnails 18 and 19 even during the initial stages of car lling. It isbelieved that a stifening rib Such as 2,2' acts to tix the ends of sheet10 in position so as to make it act like a beam with fixed ends. Thus,it is possible to employ even a less rigid material to construct sheet10' than is the case in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2.Preferably l form rib 22' integral with sheet 10 and flange 14'.

While in the foregoing specification, I have set forth a specificstructure in considerable detail Yfor the purpose of illustrating theinvention, it will be understood that such details of structure can bevaried widely by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit of my invention.

I claim:

1` In combination with a vehicle carrying grain, a temporary closurecomprising a flat, substantially rigid, rectangular sheet, said sheethaving integral inwardly projecting flanges on threel sides thereof,:the oppositely disposed flanges on two of said sides being additionallyprovided with integral anges extending sidewardly away from said sheet,the said two oppositely disposed anges being disposed against thevertical framing of the doorway of the vehicle to position the atportion of the sheet a spaced distance outwardly ofthe inner side ofsaid framing, said ilat portion and said oppositely disposed flangescooperating to dene pockets in which grain is supported in substantiallyimmobile condition.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said sheet along the sides equippedwith the oppositely-disposed ange is equipped with stittening ribsextending between said a't portion and said oppositely-disposed flanges.

3. ln combination with a vehicle carrying grain, a temporary closurecomprising a flat, substantially rigid,

y rectangular sheet, said sheet having Aintegral inwardlyis supported insubstantially immobile condition.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSLawrence May 12, 1936 Suess u Mar. 13, 1956

